Fated
by HaloKeres-Chan
Summary: In order to wield power of any sort, one must pay the price. After the death of his family, Gray exchanged his mortality for control over ice; he would forever remain in an eighteen-year-old body. When he met Juvia Lockser, a girl who gave up her human heart for control over water, they decided to reverse their cursed fates. But is this really all there is to it? *HIATUS*
1. Chapter 1

Hello my lovelies~!

I present to you a new GruVia story that I've promised to write for half a year! I hope you like it, because this is my first GruVia story and no JUVIA IS NOT GONNA BE CLINGY. Arigatou for reading!

All right, here we go!

* * *

 _What are you willing to pay?_

The voice echoed in Gray's head. He looked down at himself; he was coated in blood that didn't belong to him.

 _What will you give up for what you wish for?_

Gray closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He bit his lip and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to burst forth. "Anything."

 _Anything? Even your life? Your family? Your friends?_

"I don't have a family. Or friends. They're all dead." Gray whispered, voice hoarse from how much he'd screamed and cursed when they fell down dead right before his eyes. He remembered how their blood spilled. Only hours before, they'd been watching football and competing with each other on the Xbox. Now, his house was but a memory, and his family forgotten even by time as their souls were reaped by death.

 _Are you certain they're all dead? What if one of them is still alive?_

Gray laughed hollowly. "Right, and I'm king of Fiore. Face it, they're dead."

 _Very well. You wish for control over ice. Why is it that you wish for this power?_

"Because ice is just like me." Gray answered briskly. "Cold and dead." It was a figure of speech, he knew. _It_ probably knew too.

 _There are many things I can take from you to give you power. I've taken many things in exchange for power. Memories, emotions, years off one's life, family, friends, souls...I've taken many, many things. Are you certain you want me to take something from you in exchange for power?_

"If I can prevent anymore deaths, I'll give anything. I don't need the tragedy of my family's death befalling another." Gray chose his words carefully, hoping to sway _it_ onto his good side.

 _Are you certain? Once done, it can't be taken back._

"I wouldn't be asking you if I wasn't sure." Gray snapped. He tried picking the dirt out from under his nails. "Do it."

 _As you wish. In exchange for the power of control, I reap you of..._

Gray saw a white light, much, much brighter than the sun itself. He felt a chill pass through him, sharper and more forbidding than the eyes of _that man._ He suddenly felt cold, as if the tons of coats he donned were nothing but air. A scream erupted from his already exhausted throat. He could feel the torture known as pain tear him apart and piece him back together again. _It_ ripped up his insides and carved the agony known as magic into his body, something that would forever remain engraved within him like words on a tombstone.

This was it. He could never take it back.

 _...your time._

* * *

"So you need my help?" Gray inquired, arms crossed and eyes closed. He had one leg over the other as he sat in the chair, his goggles perched on in his spiky, rebellious obsidian hair.

The man who requested his presence, the king of Bosco, nodded his head. He was a short, obese old man with far too much of an obsession with jewelry and being rich. He was more interested in himself than ruling his kingdom justly and caring for the citizens that thought so highly of him. Gray ignored the bitter taste in his mouth, the one that told him to run and exit the selfish, spoiled country. Fiore was much better than this tiny nation that it fought to take over.

"Yes, Mr. Fullbuster-"

"Gray is fine, Majesty."

"Right, Gray." The king opened a map up over his desk and ushered Gray over. Gray obeyed, standing up and heading over. "Fiore is invading Bosco from the south and west sides with about five-hundred thousand troops. They outnumber us five to one."

"Is that why you hired me?" Gray asked. "Because I have the strength of a 'thousand men?'"

The king nodded. "Yes, sir. There isn't a man or woman out there who hasn't heard of the great Ice Demon Slayer."

Gray's jaw hardened. "Right. Basically, you want me to fight on the front lines and prevent Fiore from invading?"

Another nod.

"All right." He held his palm out. "Now pay up."

The king raised his thick eyebrows. "I'm sorry?"

Gray restricted himself form killing the man. "Look, when I take a job, I expect the pay prior. You promised me a hundred thousand jewel. Hand it over."

"...very well."

Gray also noted that the king was a total coward too, for not fighting alongside his own men.

The check he received was stuck into his coat pocket. Gray pivoted a one-eighty. "Pleasure doing business with you." He finished, coat fluttering behind him.

All the countries in Ishgar went to war around fifty years ago. Fiore aimed to take over Bosco, for it already adsorbed Veronica and other nearby nations that Gray didn't bother remembering the names of. He didn't care. He wasn't involved. He didn't get involved until his parents were killed in the invasion.

He didn't care about anything anymore. After gaining control of this new power known as "Ice Demon Slayer," Gray put himself up as a mercenary. He earned himself the same title as his magic, and found himself rather rich thanks to the high-paying jobs. He often used that money to donate to charity and children who could use it more than he could.

Gray walked down the majestic marble hallways of the Bosco Palace, taking in the breathtaking scenery and lavish, intricate paintings and gold that he really could care less about. No matter how rich someone could be, they could never bring the dead to life. Never.

He wanted very much to end this world war that had been going on ever since he turned eighteen. When he turned eighteen, fifty years ago, his family and friends were slaughtered. They were all shot full of holes with all kinds of rifles he only remembered as deadly and monstrous. No one used magic. Magic was something one had to pay a price for.

Gray had paid his time.

Not that he cared.

* * *

YES! FINALLY UP!

Hello, my lovelies! What did you think of the first chapter of Fated? Was it good? Was it super short (I'm sorry)? Did I make any mistakes? If I did, point them out so I can fix them! Arigatou!

Keep an eye out for Hassle! Bye!

~HeavenDragon


	2. Chapter 2

Here is chapter two of my precious Fated fic!

Again, I'm really really sorry about HPAHH. I really really really wanted to post it, but I didn't bother because, in all honesty, I just don't have the time. There are many stories currently in the works right now, so for that, gomen!

Well, on to chapter two. Juvia-chan makes her first appearance! Here we go!

* * *

Gray first saw her when he passed by the shooting ranges. Now, most people seemed to blend into the black-and-white background of his fake life, and barely anybody stood out to him. He'd met someone full of color - once, anyways - back in Fiore, on the outskirts, and damn, the guy was a pyromaniac. Even if he wasn't a mage, he easily reached the colorful standards Gray had made, and even surpassed them. Violent, stupid, loud-mouthed, and apparently hating Gray's guts, the guy was quite difficult to approach. Gray had overheard from others that his alias was the Salamander, but he'd never learned his real name. The man had possessed ancient - foreign, even - flames that not even the most skilled mages understood. Gray couldn't help but wonder what he traded to receive it, or if they'd ever meet again.

And the girl he saw in the shooting range was equal, if not greater, to the colorfulness Gray saw in that Salamander.

She was a mage - he could tell from how easily she created water and manipulated it to hit the targets several hundred yards away. With his sharp eyes, he saw that every time she launched an arrow made of the element, it pierced the center mark with ease. _She's an experienced marksman, alright. That magic of hers is powerful. What did she have to trade to get it?_

Everyone knew that magic was only given because something else had to be traded for it. _It_ would appear before those who desired it, and it set all the rules and conditions. Mere humans had no right to dictate the conditions for magic, and if any dare tried, _it_ would hack them apart and make them suffer eternal pain rather than death. Gray had seen some of them before; they'd been sent to asylums for their insanity and no one dared let them out.

No one knew for how long _it_ had been around for. Some said _it_ only appeared when the world war began fifty years ago. Others spread rumors that _it'd_ slept in peace for centuries, awakening only when war waged across the surface and everything reverted back to the medieval days of old. Gone was the technology of the 22nd century, replaced with the ancient concepts from millennia before. Gray wasn't certain when the change came about, and he didn't care much either.

The girl was most likely a foreigner, much like Gray himself - most Boscans bore lighter hair colors and darker skin, and neither she nor himself had that. If he had to guess, she was, like him, a Fiorian, but she could've been from Seven or even Veronica. Gray didn't know much about other countries in Ishgar, but he honestly could care less.

Her hair was a light, colorful shade of blue that spread behind her in waves, much like the waters she controlled. Her skin was pale, almost white, and seemed to glow with each movement she made. He couldn't see her face, but from he could tell, she was young, and at the max, eighteen. She was most likely sixteen or seventeen.

Her clothes were thick, and lined with fur, so she most likely came from one of the northern countries, or at least a northern area. Gray didn't remember being so perceptive of another person before.

He didn't remember stepping into the shooting range either.

The girl stopped, her arms dropping to her side. Gray froze, eying her carefully. He opened his mouth, choosing his words with caution. "That was quite the show you put on just now." He complimented, hiding the voice in the back of his head that said to just ditch her and leave. "What kind of magic did you use?"

She didn't answer right away. "Water Manipulation." She answered monotonously, and he realized just now dead her voice sounded. She brought her hand out in front of her, and a spiral of water shot out of it. "I can create, destroy, and manipulate water however I please." Her eyes were a deep, shady blue that bore no light, and Gray couldn't help but notice how similar is own gaze was to hers. _She's suffered too,_ he thought.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"What is yours? I will tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Gray took a step closer to her. "Gray Fullbuster. Mercenary/Mage from Fiore. You?"

She stepped onto the shooting zone, ready to replace her targets. "Juvia Lockser. Mercenary/Mage from Fiore. Are you here on a request from Bosco's king to help him push Fiore out?"

Gray's eye twitched. _Juvia Lockser...why is that name so familiar?_ "I am. Are you?"

"Yes. Why are you here, when you are from Fiore?"

"Why are you?"

Lockser didn't reply to that, instead ripping her targets off their stands and replacing them. She shredded the already used ones with her magic and let the tatters fall to the ground. "I am a mercenary. It does not matter who my employer is. I only carry out the job that has been assigned to me so that I may receive my pay."

"Well there you go. That's precisely why I'm here."

Lockser stomped the space next to her. "Would you like to practice with me? Take note that this does not mean we are friends. We are most likely on the same quest together, so it is best that we get along should we meet again in the future. Are you a long or short distance fighter?" She explained, summoning a bow and a quiver full of arrows made of her element.

Gray took a minute to think. "I can do both," He said, "but I usually fight in the vanguard." He stuck his hand out to the side, ice spreading out from his palm to form a sharp, detailed sword of complex design. "If you'd like, I can create dummies for us. Would you prefer that?"

She nodded. "I would prefer it."

He didn't like how blunt and uncaring she acted. While he was cold and distant, Lockser herself didn't have any kind of nature at all. She was empty, blank, and he couldn't stand it. He had to bet that _it_ was the reason. _What did she sacrifice to receive such power? I know mine, but what is hers? Would she mind if I asked her?_

"Hey, Lockser," He said, forming the dummies and taking them out to the center of the range. "You use magic."

"I do." She confirmed.

"What did you trade?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me what you traded for Ice Manipulation." She readied her bow, pulling three arrows out of her quiver.

Gray wondered why he answered her question. He'd never told anyone before, because he thought it only fair since he never asked them. But now, he was on the receiving end, and he couldn't help but wonder what he'd say. After a long moment of thinking, he answered her. "I was reaped of my time."

She watched him. "Time?"

"I have not aged at all in the last fifty years. Had I stayed away from magic, I'd be old enough to be your grandfather." Gray stated, widening his legs and positioning his sword. "Would you mind telling me yours?"

Lockser shook her head. "I suppose not. It _is_ equivalent exchange, is it not?"

Gray hated that concept.

"I was reaped," Juvia shot an arrow. "Of my human heart."

* * *

WHOA I AM ON A ROLE HERE! I finally have chapter two up, but that doesn't mean I'll be putting anymore up for awhile, 'kay? I still have life to take care of. I GREATLY RECOMMEND TEIWWB AND SWAPPED LIVES AND NO I'M NOT YELLING I'M JUST SUPER HAPPY RIGHT NOW. Arigatou for reading! Keep an eye out for more, and I greatly appreciate all of you, my lovelies! If there are any grammatical errors, don't hesitate to tell me. I AM ONLY HERE FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT.

~HaloKeres-Chan


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone. I'm pretty sure a lot of you are in a sad mood today, since I just discontinued a story. Sorry. I deserve hate. But some of you should be happy, since where I'm at, SPRING BREAK HAHA! A week of absolutely nothing to do! Yeah, I'm one of the lonely people who'll stay home all break, but yeah, it's all good. Again, gomenesai for the sad news regarding that story, but here comes the third chapter of Fated. Here we go!

* * *

 _How've you been, Gray? I'm fine. I heard from Lyon that you traveled up to Bosco for a high-paying job again. Really, will you ever get tired of going all over the place for a little jewel? It makes me wonder if I taught you right. Remember not to strip everywhere you go, alright? I know your habits, so stop giving me that stink eye right now. Don't. Oh, and please respond this time. It's kinda hard trying to carry a one-sided conversation through letters, you know? Tell me if you find Ultear, got it? Thanks, Gray. See you soon._

 _~Ur_

Gray slammed the letter down onto the desk beside him and fell back onto his bed. He placed his arm over his eyes and wished that Ur would just _stop_ with the damn letters. If she knew he wouldn't respond to them, why would she bother? Damn Lyon, too. He wasn't supposed to tell her that, unless she threatened him with that Iced Shell thing. Whatever the case, he didn't want her knowing he was up in Veronica because that meant someone knew his whereabouts, and that wasn't what he needed.

The inn he chose to spend the night at was a quaint little ramshackle building on the outskirts of Bosco's capital, unnoticed by most of the residents but gave cheap prices and good food. Gray was glad he stumbled by there, because he preferred to be there than in a palace where he could potentially be assassinated or taken hostage without his knowing. Here, he could at least set up his own magical barrier. The inn owner was quite nice, too, despite knowing that 'Ao' was not his real name and that he had lied to her about being a simple traveler. Gray had always been a bad liar.

He inhaled, sat up, and using his magic, froze up the letter and made it shatter into a multitude of fragments. The little shards of ice sparkled in the moonlight coming from the window, but Gray ignored it in favor of shedding his jacket and collapsing back onto his bed without bothering with the covers. Damn it, he had gotten rid of his stripping habit years ago, and Ur still had the nerve to bring that up. He wasn't a _child,_ he was nineteen when he first met her, and it _wasn't his fault it was because of her training -_

He groaned and buried his face in his pillow. It would be a long night.

* * *

"Are all the mercenaries here?"

"There should be seven of them, I believe. Sorano, Ikaruga, Gray Fullbuster, Jellal Fernandes, Juvia Lockser, Hibiki Lates, and Mest Gryder."

The two attendants counted, and once all was said and done, the leaders in the barracks stood and called out direct orders from the king. Gray could honestly care less. All he had to do was hack apart enemy soldiers, right? Just another murdering job. Rather, he was fixed on Lockser, who simply stared straight ahead blankly.

When the woman had confessed what she lost to _it,_ Gray found himself more relieved than shocked. It explained her apathy towards everything, her monotone voice and nature, her dead eyes, all of it. He didn't do what a cliché hero did and say, "Why would you exchange that for power," because he had done the same thing half a century before, and there was no going back. He'd stay the way he was back then until the day he passed into the next world, and Lockser would continue a path of no emotion until she left the world as well. There's that, and well, he wasn't a hero.

In the past fifty years, he murdered approximately one thousand, four hundred thirty-seven people.

He didn't deserve the title. The alias 'Ice Demon' fit him much, much better.

"What do you think of this war?" Lockser asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Gray took a moment to think, pushing away the dark memories surfacing again. "Well, I'd say this battle isn't worth the time and money the countries are putting into it, at the very least. What was the quarrel over again? The assassination of the heir to the throne in Desierto? It's like a repeat of World War l back in the twentieth century." He didn't like to think of how engineering and technology seemed to _re_ gress over the years, rather than _pro_ gress. Was that the fault of _it_? He would never know. "I think this battle is a waste of time, honestly, but I'm getting paid, so that's fine."

"Really?" Lockser glanced at the other military personnel in the room. "You don't care for the lives you've taken, or the ones you're going to take later today? Most would say that this war is pointless or worth everything. Some would despair over the people they've killed, and others would brag to their comrades, 'I killed twelve more people than you did today.' Rather, you don't seem to care. Why is that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Equivalent exchange was your principle, wasn't it? Your turn to tell me what you think of the war."

Lockser blinked. "O - Oh. I see." That was the first time she'd ever stuttered before, in the time Gray had met her. He was surprised by the slight tremble in her tone, though. Wasn't she supposed to not understand emotions? "Forgive me. If you'd like to know my opinion, then I guess you could say I don't believe in the concept of war. Actually, I don't think I can understand it. The dictionaries and the encyclopedias and the people define 'war' as a state of armed conflict between two or more nations. They say that it's a battle that leaves behind casualties and endless destruction."

"Well, it is. What do you think of it as?" Gray couldn't say he had a different mindset of what war was. She'd put it out in stone, and that was what he always thought it was; a conflict that only led to death and despair. It would normally take years for countries to recover, and with how technology had regressed, that would make it all the more difficult. He was somewhat intrigued, though, by what this woman before him had to say.

Lockser adjusted the zipper on her coat and tucked some of her bright azure hair behind her ear. "I think of war as a...sanctuary, really."

His eyebrows raised. "Oh?"

"Yes. War is like a sanctuary for the forsaken and the fools. We humans are selfish, weak, naïve beings by nature. There are, however, a few out there who know that and fought back against it, to make themselves less human and more divine. Do you see those pompous monarchs and egotistical nobles? They have accepted their cruel personalities and simply ignore changing it in favor of eternally false joy." Lockser locks her eyes on Gray's. "The battlefield is the one place humans can feel _human,_ _flesh and blood._ The forsaken and the fools were abandoned and cast out of society, but in a battlefield, they can take vengeance and be as selfish as they want, because in war, rationality doesn't matter. They don't have to follow expectations, they don't have to take up a mantle or a burden, they can prevent any rumors from spreading about them by simply silencing those who spread it."

Gray was impressed. Her comparison of a war to a paradise where rules didn't matter was surprisingly accurate. Ur and Lyon didn't know how many people Gray had killed, how many more he wrecked, and the humanity he gave in to.

Lockser closes her eyes for a moment. "Yes, that is what war is." There's a spark in her gaze, but it carries no mortality, none of the humanity she spoke of in it. "War is the one place where humans are allowed to be humans, without anything to burden them."

Oh, Gray knew now.

Juvia Lockser was so _twisted._

* * *

Thanks for reading, guys. It's been, what, four months since I've updated? Yeah, it's been a long time. Continue supporting me, 'kay? And again, sorry for discontinuing Swapped Lives.

~HaloKeres-Chan


	4. Chapter 4

When he first set foot on the battlefield, the first thing Gray saw was the fire. The infernos danced across the sky and whatever embers they left behind rained down and dyed the world of color black and ashen. The sound of triggers being pulled and blades clashing echoed in his ears, and soon enough he heard the sound of his own blood pumping through his veins. The sirens from airships dropping bombs rung on high, as did the gusts of wind that burst through the air as planes from enemy countries chased each other down like wolves finding their prey. At least that technology remained.

"It's a horrifying place, isn't it?" Lockser said. "This is the true nature of humanity, the hidden demeanors we all pretend don't exist."

She was right, at least. Despite the blood splattering and the sound of bombs that echoed in his ears, his heart felt most at home here of all places. "Sure." He answered curtly. He stretched his arm out as ice melded into existence from practically nothing and formed a sword. "We're supposed to keep them from entering the border, right?" He wasn't going to admit to her that he paid absolutely no attention to what the commanders earlier were saying.

"Yes, I believe so." Her hands created a bow and arrow set with the water dancing around her body. "Just until the sun as set."

Gray shrugged. "Ah, well. Nothing we can do about it now." He muttered under his breath, taking his sword. He knelt down, and on Lockser's signal, took off running.

* * *

Gray didn't really know how much time had passed, but he was exhausted. Despite the ability _it_ gave him to manipulate ice and create it out of nothing, he still only had so much energy to burn. He couldn't really hear anything anymore, and his sight was starting to blur. How long had he been there, taking more lives than he could count with the sword of ice in his hands and the arrows of Lockser backing him up?

He vaguely felt a droplet of sweat slip down his face as he panted, staring at the oblivion before him. It was so much like the life he so treasured that was destroyed half a century ago, when all he heard was screams and crackling fire and his own blood pumping as another bullet passed him, another bomb dropped. At the time, he had been unable to do anything; all he could do was stand and watch as blood stained the memories he loved with all of his existence, and now he was doing the same thing.

"What," he mumbled, "am I doing here?"

He didn't really know. At some point in his life, he'd decided to become a mercenary, but why? His memory was all screwed up, to the point that even the faces of his family from so many years ago was just a blur of color, as if a child colored outside of the lines. He remembered their names, but that was it. Voices, smiles, lives, ages, all of it was gone because he'd swept himself up in the meaningless existence he was now.

Honestly, it sucked.

"Fullbuster," Lockser said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've overexerted yourself. You need to take a break." Dirt and bruises are littered all over her hands, like his. There was a splatter of blood on her face, while there was a pool of it in his shirt, like someone took a can of red paint and dumped him in it. "I've known it since we met, but you have little capability for magical energy. You need to rest every once in a while to replenish your energy if you don't want to pass out. You'll be of no help to Bosco if you keep going like that."

So she noticed it, huh?

Gray brushed her hand off his shoulder. "I'm fine. I just spaced out for a bit." He knew he was denying the truth, but had always been stubborn like that; Ur and Lyon always told him that, too. Back when he was younger, his family would tell him that too. Well, at least, he thought so. He couldn't really tell anymore. "How much longer until nightfall?"

"Not much." She responded quickly. "The sun shall set within the hour. You've done your share of work for the day. Let the others handle it."

"Since when did you become so caring?" Gray snapped. "I don't recall ever becoming buddy-buddy with you. Go worry about yourself for once."

Lockser went quiet.

"I don't see why you should care about helping me." He continued. "You told me yourself that you don't have a heart. You shouldn't care, and yet you would try to prevent me from dying." He hacked another soldier apart, but his cry fell upon deaf ears. "You really annoy me, you know. If you were going to trade something with _it,_ you should've chosen something else. Giving up your human heart was giving up your humanity."

"Do you think I'm not aware of that? Do you really think I _chose_ to give up my humanity for this power?"

"Of course not. _It_ chooses what you have to sacrifice. But why did you go along with it? You could've waited for a better opportunity, couldn't you?"

"I could have, certainly. But at the time, I would've lost everything if I did." Lockser hooked her arm under his shoulder and steadied him. He had no idea his legs were trembling to hold his weight until just then. "Then again, it wouldn't have mattered anyways. What I fought to protect back then is gone now."

"You're only seventeen, aren't you? Were you, like, twelve?"

"I'm twenty-four." She deadpanned it, and if Gray weren't about to go unconscious - the specks were poking at the edges of his vision - then maybe he would've laughed at himself for his stupid mistake. "I was seventeen when I first gained his power, though, so you were somewhat close. I don't see how that matters now, though."

She watched him with her dead eyes. "Take a break, Fullbuster. I know exhaustion when I see it, and you've already sunk far past that. Even if we're mercenaries who wield magic, unlike what most of the population is supposed to have, we have our limits." That's when Gray noticed the way she stumbled whenever she tried to take a step, and how her hands shook. "We've completed our mission. We'll get back at it tomorrow, but rest takes priority, does it not?"

Gray groans. "Sleep is for the weak, you idiot. I'll sleep when I'm dead."

Lockser doesn't respond to that. Instead, she opted to kick him in the back of his knees, and they instantly buckled. He would've fallen over if she wasn't holding onto him. "See? As it is, you can barely stand up." She pointed out.

A shadow appeared behind her, and Gray was about to warn her of the Fiorian soldier that was about to hack her head off, when she stretched her hand out. In just moments, a sword of sharply-formed liquid water made itself known and she stabbed the soldier in the back without even batting an eye - or looking behind her, for that matter. "What was it you were going to say?" She asked in her standard monotonous voice, completely unaffected by the failed surprise attack.

"Uh, nothing..."

* * *

 _Gray's eyebrows went up. "Hm? The Arctic Conqueress? Who's that?" He set his beer down._

 _Lyon looked skeptical. "You really don't know? Ah, well, I should've expected as much from you. You're just a useless ice mage that Ur took in on a whim just because." He took a sip of beer. "It's clear that I have much more potential as an ice mage than you could ever have."_

 _"Oh, shut it." If Gray was still eighteen, he would've punched Lyon. But no, if he was still aging, he'd be in his sixties right now, and he's learned enough in his long lifetime to know when violence was appropriate and when it's not. It made him feel old, though. "If you have a problem, you can always just ditch me. It'd certainly do me some good."_

 _Lyon ignored him. "Nah, I'll stick around. It's fun to watch you get annoyed, actually. Well, whatever. Back on topic. This is just a rumor, but I've heard from Sherry that the Arctic Conqueress is a young woman mercenary who wields water magic. It's quite similar to ours, actually. No one knows exactly when she showed up in the world, but she did a couple of years ago and took the world by storm - get my pun?"_

 _Gray really did want to punch him. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. What does this have to do with me?"_

 _"You're going to Bosco soon, right?"_

 _"What about it? If you have a problem, I'll make sure to bury you six feet under_ alive. _"_

 _"I'll make sure to bury_ you _six feet under alive if you don't listen to what I have to say."  
_

 _"Then hurry up, then. I need to leave before I get too intoxicated." Gray checked his watch. It was a lie - he couldn't get drunk to save his life, really - but he knew he had a thing for alcohol. "The last thing I need is to wake up under a table wearing nothing but my boxers on and a hangover that'll be the end of me."_

 _Lyon waved his hand. "Right, right. Got it. Well, I've heard that the Arctic Conqueress is heading up to Bosco too. If possible, I just want you to check her out and find whatever information you can on her."_

 _"And **why**...?"_

 _"Ur asked. I'm not going up there anytime soon, what with the war, so I'm asking you. She never told me why, but she's the one who asked. You can't exactly refuse your mentor, can you?"_

 _"I can't refuse her, but I can most certainly refuse you. I'm outta here." Gray tossed a couple jewel onto the counter, tossed his jacket over his shoulder, and stalked out of the bar, ignoring Lyon's protests._

* * *

When Gray opened his eyes again, he found himself shirtless and staring at the familiar wooden ceiling of the inn room he stayed at. _Huh. So_ she's _the Arctic Conqueress._ He didn't move, because he knew doing so would only cause the dull ache he already felt to grow sharp. Training with Ur for so long made him realize that the hard way.

"Oh. You're awake."

Lockser was rekindling the flame in the lamp on the nightstand by Gray's bed, stripped of her battle garments and wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts. Well, it was good to know that at least something remained from fifty years ago. Gray didn't know why he was expecting her to have a spark of at least _something_ in her eyes, but this is Juvia Lockser. He should've expected that.

"I am. What happened?" Gray stated.

"You passed out. You overused your magic." Lockser responded. "The sun had just set by then, so our mission for the day was done. We all retreated back for the night, and while I was told to bring you to the barracks where most soldiers stayed at, you didn't have a place to stay there. Your belongings are all here, as well." She looked out to the window. "It is well into the early morning."

Gray sat up, ignoring the numbness in his limbs that told him not to. "Why didn't _you_ go back to wherever your staying? I would've been just fine on my own."

"It's simple, really." Lockser said, walking around the bed to the small kitchen table where a small basket of food sat. "The innkeeper seems quite fond of you, so when she saw you the way you were, she begged me to stay. I didn't really have anything else much better to do at the time, so I just did what she asked." She put together two sandwiches for the both of them and got a couple plates out from the cabinet underneath the table.

"Hey, I've been wondering." Gray really wasn't, but it was better than awkward silence. "How come I ran out of magic energy long before you did?"

Lockser didn't pause in her movements. "I'm not going to say something like 'you used your magic recklessly.' In fact, you did reasonably well in conserving your energy. I simply have more magical reserves than you do. We're not all the same, despite how much we'd like to be."

He heard the mistake in her words. _We_?

"Hey, Lockser - nah, Juvia." Gray said her name for the first time.

Lockser glanced at him. "Yes? Is there something you need?"

He shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. If you had the chance, no..." This was on a whim, he swore, but he still said it anyways. "Do you want to run away with me and reverse your curse? Do you want to become human again?"

 _ **And so begins a tale of an immortal and a forsaken, on a journey**_

 ** _Of heartache, loss, despair, courage, shadows,_**

 ** _And hope._**

* * *

Thanks for reading this chapter, everyone! It's a bit longer than usual, and I swear I was just rambling on and on, but I couldn't squish it all into one thousand words like I normally do. Ugh, I'm tired. Anyone ready for finals? Exactly. Well, wherever you are, if you're a prepping for exams or are just ready for school to end or...whatever you do that you don't like ends, I hope this makes your day. Good luck everyone!

~HaloKeres-Chan


	5. Chapter 5

"So, how much longer will we be fighting for you, _Your Majesty_?" Gray spat bitterly at the Boscan king, who seemed to flinch back at every word he said. "We've been here for too long, and unlike you, some of us have other things to take care of."

He knew he shouldn't be talking like that to a king, but Gray had been fighting off Fiore from invading Bosco for what, two months now? Certainly, the king hadn't mentioned a certain amount of time he'd spend in Bosco at the time of their agreement, but Gray wasn't supposed to be here for this long. He needed to report back to Ur about the Arctic Conqueress - Lockser. Not only that, but he wasn't getting enough pay for this. It was pissing him off, and above all, he was absolutely _bored._ Going to work at four in the morning to fight until he was bloody exhausted - quite literally - and then coming back for only a couple rations and _finally_ a bed at midnight was starting to wear on his nerves.

Lockser hadn't been keeping him much company recently, now that he thought about it. Ever since he had asked her that stupid question, she hadn't approached him the way she used to. Had he done something to offend her? It's not like he cared, but he honestly can't help but feel curious about it.

* * *

 _Lockser watched him, her pupils dilated. "Pardon? Did you just ask me if I would 'run away' with you?"_

 _Gray shook his head. "Sorry. I was just joking. Just forget about it." He averted his gaze to instead face the bedsheets - anything that would keep him from looking back at the cobalt-haired woman before him. "It was just something on a whim. Pretend you didn't hear it."_

 _"Are you certain it was 'just something on a whim'?"_

 _He couldn't see her face, but from his peripheral vision, he saw her hands clenching onto the plate carrying the sandwiches. They seemed to suddenly grip the porcelain tighter._

 _Gray chuckled. "Honestly, I'm not sure. It came out of my mouth before I could stop it, so it's possible that I might have meant it. I'm hoping you'd understand what the subconscious can do. Well, you can forget about it. It's fine."_

 _"I might have said yes, if you meant it."_

 _He looked at her, eyes wide. "Huh?"_

 _Lockser's expression was blank, but Gray thought he saw a spark of...was that_ disappointment _in her eyes? "There was a reason I traded my human heart for this power, and to this day, I've yet to accomplish what I've sought. But, maybe I didn't need this power to get what I want from the very start. I was only seventeen, and blinded by the emotions I had, and while it's easier to make choices without an opinion to bother me, I can't help feeling hollow. Perhaps," She set down the plate on the nightstand gently. "Perhaps I would've gone with you, if you had meant it."_

 _"...Perhaps." Gray replied quietly._

* * *

Nowadays, Gray just simply spent his time fighting off the Fiorians with no real purpose nor meaning behind his actions. Some believed his actions were justified, for they were on behalf of the king, while others scorned him for killing just because he was hired to. However, this is what he signed up for when he became a mercenary all those years ago, whenever _that_ was. He didn't really remember anything, but he signed up for it, made a name for himself, and here he was now.

"I'm very sorry for keeping you here." The king really wasn't. He was getting richer and richer by the way thanks to Bosco going into war mode, and demobilization would make all that wealth go down the drain. "Fiore is just so persistent. I can't let you guys go until they've given up on breaching our borders. I truly am sorry."

 _If you were, you would be bowing down in apology, not sitting there in a pile of pillows with half a dozen servants at your beckoning call,_ Gray thought bitterly. "Sure, _Your Majesty_." He mocked. "But hurry it up. Despite being a mercenary, I do have an agenda. My mentor's going to be concerned if I don't get back to her soon."

Ur really wouldn't be concerned, though, since Gray hadn't talked to her since he left her home in the Arctic of the north years ago. She knew Gray could hold his own - he had gained enough wisdom in the last half-century to know when to fight and when to negotiate - so she had no worries. It wasn't like she could scold him for lying about his reasons for abandoning his mission when she was missing and quite possibly halfway across the world, though.

He didn't let the king respond, instead opting to make a sarcastic salute and stalk out of king's chambers. If not for his status as one of the most powerful mercenaries on the continent, his unruly behavior would've been dealt with already. Gray had been counting, and he'd already insulted Boscan royalty approximately twenty-four times. But now wasn't the time to think about that. He was being sent out again tomorrow, and he needed the rest if he didn't want to rely on Lockser again.

Damn, now the girl was getting into his head everyday. Every time, though, he felt a pang in his chest, unlike before. Maybe he really _had_ wanted to run away with her and find a way to get rid of this curse of his, to get rid of hers. They would find a way to oppose _it_ again, and demand that it give back what it took away from them, and take what they received in return. It would certainly be quite the adventure, and one they might never return from, but it sounded much better than this. Living day to day only _existing,_ not _living,_ was a horrible thing. Gray hated it, but he had put up with it for the last fifty years, and at first, he thought that maybe he could go on like that for the rest of his days.

But no.

He was _done._

Gray slammed his fist into the wall. "Dammit."

* * *

Gray's ear crackled with the sound of another bomb dropping. He winced and placed his hand over his ear, muffling the echo of the sirens that had gradually made him go deaf. This was all the more reason to leave the king's job. Sure, he wouldn't get the money he was promised and he might become a wanted man, but it was better than this.

Another explosion.

Yeah, he was done.

"Are you okay, Fullbuster?" Fernandes asked, cutting down another soldier and temporarily dropping his barrier.

"Well, if you count your hearing being almost completely gone and how I feel like the king's a fat, rich asshole for not letting me go earlier, then yeah, I'm just dandy." Gray remarked sarcastically, wiping the sweat from under his bangs. He looked at his melting sword and clicked his tongue. The heat waves from the bombs kept melting his weaponry. "He's working us ragged and we're not getting justice for it. If I had no conscience, I would've punched him already."

Fernandes shook his head. "You probably shouldn't do that."

"I haven't yet. What's the time?" Gray spat out a drop of blood, just as Fernandes wipe a speck of dirt off his face and checked his watch.

"We're far from done, it seems. Unless one of the leaders calls for a ceasefire, we're stuck here unless we want to be reprimanded for going against orders." Fernandes said. "Personally, I wouldn't mind ditching and running off, but it wouldn't have the best results for me. We're just going to have to keep fighting."

Gray wanted to groan. "I swear, the days just keep getting longer."

* * *

"Lockser, we need to talk."

Lockser looked at him, her expression the same as it was when they first met. But, for some reason, it seemed to lack something other than the emotion Gray knew she didn't have. Her irises seemed a shade lighter, a bit hollower than before, and he couldn't quite get why. It was like he knew everything about her, but couldn't unlock that information.

"Hm? Why?" She asked.

Now that he thought about it, why _did_ they need to talk about again? Well, Gray would figure it out. That's what he hoped for, anyways. He didn't know why they needed to talk, but he called her, so there was obviously _something_ he needed to say to her. Perhaps it was about what he said, about them running away to reverse their powers and become normal humans with normal lives to look forward to. Yes, perhaps it was that.

"Remember what I said?" He questioned. "About running away and confronting _it_?"

"I do. Is there something about it that you forgot to mention?"

They were heading back to the palace to hear what Bosco's king had to say about the battle, some hoping that he would send them out again the next day, others hoping for a break, and others just wishing that he would let them free like their occupations dictated. The horses were quiet aside from the clip-clop of their horseshoes against cobblestone, and the armor Boscan soldiers donned clinked at every step. There were groans from exhausted men, cheers from others, and the carts reeked of rotting bodies coming back for a burial. Gray's own feet seemed to drag across the cobblestone, and he honestly wouldn't mind just collapsing and falling asleep on the roads right then and there.

Gray ruffled his greasy, blood-stained hair. "Look, just - I - "

He was cut off by a slap to the shoulder. He looked to his side, finding a Boscan soldier of everything _but_ muscle. "What?" He asked.

"How many casualties in your battalion?" Judging from the numerous amount of badges across the man's torso, he was a high-ranking officer - or, at least, a higher rank than Gray would be if he was in the army. There was a stack of papers in a clipboard in his hand, a pen in his other.

But, really, was he blind? Gray wasn't in _any_ of the battalions. His only orders as a mercenary were to kill as many Fiorian soldiers he could, per his instructions from His Majesty himself. Also, shouldn't his outfit give it away? How did the man not hear of the arrival of the mercenaries? Maybe he wasn't that high ranking after all, and just looked like it.

"I'm not in any battalions." Gray stated. "I'm just a mercenary hired by His Majesty. If you'd like, though, I can tell you how many I killed today. About one hundred eighty-two, if my memory serves me right." He smirked when the man clicked his tongue and stalked off.

"Well?" Lockser asked. "What were you going to say?"

Gray waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. We'll talk about it when we get back. We'll just keep getting interrupted if I talk about it here."

Lockser pursed her lips, but nodded. They headed back in silence.

* * *

Gray shed his jacket and stretched. "I've thought about it for a while, but I was serious."

Lockser adjusted her coat. "About what you said? Are you certain?"

He could understand her lack of faith. He had sounded so genuine the first time, to the point that Juvia almost said yes, but he immediately pushed it off and pretended nothing happened. "Yeah." He said. "I meant it. I just thought I hadn't. There's so much that's happened to me, and all those thoughts and doubts came down crashing onto me at once. I couldn't continue on like that."

"Fullbuster, why did you ask for your power, your magic?"

It was a surprising question. Gray stared at her with wide eyes, and after a few minutes, grinned. "Let's see...to make things to back to the way they were, I guess? The twenty-second century is gone, along the the life I used to live. The world's time is measured in X's now. We're at the beginning of a new...I guess you could call it a story. At first, I had thought it was so people wouldn't have to deal with the pain I did when everything fell apart. At some point, though, I realized that I really just wanted to turn back time and pretend nothing went wrong. What about you?"

Lockser slid her finger across the edge of a chair. "When I was a girl, the only thing I had ever seen was ashes and fire. The only thing I had ever heard was the sound of sirens booming and the rushed voices of my parents trying to get me to safety. Even if I can't feel anything regarding those memories, I still feel a pang in my gut. They've only hindered me thus far, and...I guess I wanted to erase these memories and start over, back when I gained this power. I don't feel that way now. Not anymore."

"So, let me ask you again." Gray said. His eyes narrowed. "Do you want to run away with me and reverse our cursed futures?" His hand was out, and part of him was unsure if Lockser would take it.

Her hand twitched, but it didn't move. "I don't want to. I don't have a sense of desire. However, I feel I need to do this, so I suppose this is okay." Lockser brushed her fingers against his outstretched hand, not actually taking it. "This is a promise to stay with you until _it_ gives us back what we've forgotten."

Gray closed his eyes and eyed his sack of possessions. "Well, shall we?"

* * *

HAPPY SUMMER BREAK EVERYONE! HaloKeres-Chan is still alive and kicking!

Even though I say I'm going to try and update lots throughout the summer, I probably won't. I'm kinda lazy about this stuff, y'know? Yeah, yeah, hate me, but this is me. This is who I am, and if you can't deal with that, go somewhere else. But I'm very proud of my writing, and if you have a problem, keep it to yourself.

Well, how was this chapter? More rambling (GAH), but now I can finally get to the good part! Don't worry, Juvia-chan's going to become Juvia-chan again sooner or later, with all her amazing clinginess. Don't worry, Jellal and Erza will show up, as will Natsu and Lucy. They're going to come in. Wendy-chan might even make a cameo!

Thanks for the support, guys. I've been going through a lot lately, so your positive comments really help. It reminds me that there are others out there who care about me, that there will be others who support me through all the stress. Like I said, thanks, and I hope you'll continue to read my writing again and again.

~HaloKeres-Chan


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